What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

In recent years, with the high incidence of breast cancer, tens of millions of women have fallen into panic. The disease is extremely harmful. If it is not treated in time, once metastasis occurs, the consequences will be disastrous. If we want to detect the signs of the disease early, we need to know more about its symptoms. So, what are the symptoms of breast cancer? The following is a detailed introduction for everyone.

Early breast cancer often does not have typical symptoms and signs, and is not easily noticed. It is often discovered through physical examinations or breast cancer screening. The following are typical signs of breast cancer:

1. Breast lumps: 80% of breast cancer patients first seek medical attention because of breast lumps. Patients often accidentally discover breast lumps, which are mostly single, hard, with irregular edges and a less smooth surface. Most breast cancers are painless lumps, and only a few are accompanied by varying degrees of dull pain or tingling.

2. Nipple discharge: Blood, serous fluid, milk, pus flowing out of the nipple during the non-pregnancy period, or milk flowing out after stopping breastfeeding for more than half a year, is called nipple discharge. There are many causes of nipple discharge, and common diseases include intraductal papilloma, breast hyperplasia, mammary duct ectasia and breast cancer. Unilateral single-hole bloody discharge should be further examined, and if accompanied by a breast mass, it should be taken seriously.

3. Skin changes: Breast cancer can cause skin changes with various signs. The most common is that the tumor invades the Cooper ligament connecting the breast skin and the deep pectoral muscle fascia, shortening it and losing its elasticity, pulling the skin of the corresponding part, and causing the "dimple sign", that is, a small depression appears in the breast skin, like a dimple. If cancer cells block the lymphatic vessels, "orange peel-like changes" will occur, that is, many small dot-like depressions appear in the breast skin, just like orange peel. In the late stage of breast cancer, cancer cells infiltrate into the skin along the lymphatic vessels, glandular ducts or fibrous tissue and grow, forming scattered hard nodules in the skin around the main cancer focus, the so-called "skin satellite nodules".

4. Abnormalities of the nipple and areola: Tumors located deep in or close to the nipple may cause nipple retraction. When the tumor is far from the nipple and the large ducts in the mammary gland are invaded and shortened, it may also cause nipple retraction or elevation. Nipple eczematoid carcinoma, also known as breast Paget's disease, manifests as itching, erosion, ulceration, crusting, desquamation, and burning pain on the nipple skin, resulting in nipple retraction.

5. Swollen axillary lymph nodes: More than 1/3 of breast cancer patients admitted to the hospital have axillary lymph node metastasis. In the early stage, the ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes may be swollen. The swollen lymph nodes are hard, scattered, and movable. As the disease progresses, the lymph nodes gradually fuse and adhere to and fix with the skin and surrounding tissues. In the late stage, the metastatic lymph nodes can be felt above the clavicle and in the opposite axilla.

Early detection and early diagnosis of breast cancer are the key to improving treatment effectiveness. Therefore, I hope everyone can take a serious look at the above symptoms. Early breast cancer is mostly painless tumors, and the body may not cause any discomfort. It neither affects life nor work. At this time, you must not ignore it and you must actively go to the hospital for examination and treatment.